Automatic test equipment (“ATE”) has been known in the art for several years. Automating the testing procedures for circuit boards and electronic devices expedites the testing process and allows for greater production of tested electronic devices. When testing an instrument, an interface assembly is docked to a test head using methods well known in the art. The interface assembly contains a device interface board (“DIB”) attached to a stiffening member. An instrument interface block makes an electrical connection to the DIB. The DIB is a printed circuit board (“PCB”) that is pre-designed and manufactured specifically for the instrument to be tested and the test that is to be run.
For every configuration and every instrument to be tested, a unique DIB is needed with circuitry unique to that configuration or instrument and device to be tested. The requirement of producing new boards for every configuration drastically increases the cost of testing and developing electrical devices. The development of a DIB requires a great amount of time and energy into the design, manufacture, and testing of the board itself. The replacement of the DIB in the probe interface during testing is also time consuming.